Chinese carmakers hit a milestone in Europe in 2025, breaking sales records and challenging established rivals with strong gains from MG, BYD, and Chery
Chinese carmakers have been quietly expanding their foothold in Europe for years, and their growing presence is now putting domestic rivals on alert. In December, vehicles from Chinese brands claimed a record share of the total European market. The rise came during a wider upswing, with both December and full-year 2025 sales outpacing those of the previous year.
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Sales figures from Dataforce, covering 98 percent of the volume across the EU, U.K., and EFTA markets, show that 13,295,075 new vehicles were sold in Europe in 2025, a notable increase from the 12,994,720 that were delivered the year prior.
December’s Breakout Numbers
According to Auto News, which reported on the data, December played an outsized role in the year’s growth. Monthly sales jumped from 1,070,043 to 1,151,209, driven by strong performances across several key markets, including the UK.
But December marked more than just an overall upswing. For the first time, Chinese automakers collectively moved over 100,000 vehicles in a single month, with 109,864 units finding European buyers.
Not only were overall December sales up 126 percent, but across the entire year, sales from Looking at the full calendar year, those brands delivered 810,982 vehicles in total, up 99 percent from 2024. That gave them a 6.1 percent share of the European market by the end of 2025. The figure might still seem modest, but the trend line is climbing sharply.
Which Chinese Automaker Gained the Most?
The best-selling Chinese group was SAIC, which includes the hugely successful MG brand. It sold 307,812 vehicles in Europe last year, up from 244,121 the year prior. MG accounted for 307,282 of these sales, with the remaining 530 coming from the Maxus brand.
BYD is the next-best performer with total 2025 sales reaching 186,612, a huge increase from the 49,590 sold in 2024. This surge came largely thanks to the popular Seal U, Dolphin Surf, Sealion 9, and Seal. The Seal U alone accounted for 79,407 units, and with 72,667 of those being plug-in hybrids, it became Europe’s best-selling PHEV of the year.
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Chery wasn’t far behind. Its 2025 sales hit 120,207 units, a sharp rise from just 17,038 in 2024. The Jaecoo brand made a particularly loud entrance, with sales jumping from 2,490 to 56,944. Omoda also grew significantly, moving from 14,540 units to 52,950.
The Geely group also posted solid results, with 400,725 vehicles sold in Europe last year. Of those, 332,226 were Volvo models, still accounting for the bulk of the group’s European volume.
Even so, sales were up across the board for Geely’s other brands, including its namesake marque, Lynk & Co, Polestar, and Zeekr. Polestar in particular saw meaningful growth, delivering 47,579 vehicles compared to 30,546 the year before. That uptick was driven largely by the arrival of the Polestar 4, which contributed 26,316 units on its own.
Stellantis-backed Leapmotor was another brand on the rise, climbing to sixth place among Chinese automakers in Europe with 33,567 vehicles sold. Its compact T03 electric minicar accounted for 60 percent of that figure, pointing to continued appetite for lower-cost EV options in the region.
MG and BYD Break Into the Mainstream
Chinese automakers are now starting to challenge more established brands in the rankings. MG finished the year at No. 16 overall in Europe, ahead of names like Cupra, Nissan, and Fiat. BYD climbed to No. 22, beating Suzuki, Mini, and Mazda. Jaecoo, Omoda, and Polestar also cracked the top 35.
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